


I Never Realized I Needed You

by Kim_Namjunie



Series: Parent Troubles [2]
Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Baby Choi Beomgyu, BeomGyu is A Whole Cutie, Jeon Jungkook is Bad at Feelings, Jeon Jungkook is Whipped, Jeon Jungkook is a Little Shit, Jungkook doesn't know what he's doing here, Kim Taehyung | V & Park Jimin are Best Friends, Kim Taehyung | V is Whipped, M/M, Minor Character Death, Minor Original Character(s), Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Single Parent Jung Hoseok | J-Hope, Single Parent Kim Taehyung | V, Single Parent Park Jimin (BTS), Single Parents, Soft Choi Beomgyu, Soft Kim Taehyung | V, Stray Kids are babysitters, Sweetheart Choi Beomgyu, TXT are Best Friends, Taehyung's trying his best, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:05:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27040138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kim_Namjunie/pseuds/Kim_Namjunie
Summary: Kim Taehyung thought he had his life figured out when he was 20.Boy, how wrong he was.He's here though. He's trying his best to raise his son alone and raise him right. He never really takes into consideration moving on from his wife until he meets Jungkook at the bar that the younger bartends in. It shifts, shifts only slightly. His heart growing to, maybe, just maybe, find someone else to make him happy.Jungkook doesn't... do kids. Or, really, the whole dating thing in general. A bit too busy (and maybe a bit too scared). He takes a chance, slips his number into a customer's pockets without knowing the story behind him.Maybe he should've done his research about Kim Taehyung but maybe he's okay with being scared this time.
Relationships: Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V, Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Min Yoongi | Suga, Kim Namjoon | RM/Kim Seokjin | Jin, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Park Jimin (BTS)/Park Jinyoung (GOT7)
Series: Parent Troubles [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1882789
Comments: 6
Kudos: 42





	1. Just in Case

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the second Installment of Parent Troubles!  
> This focuses on Taehyung, his son, BeomGyu, and Jungkook.  
> Hope you enjoy!

_ Taehyung remembers meeting Sohyon in secondary school, young and dumb. He is 14 when he first lays his eyes on her, she’s 14 too, older than him by three days and absolutely beautiful even back then. He desperately wants to talk to her but doesn’t know how to approach her. Jimin is the one that gently pushes him forward after a talent show. Sohyon easily took first place with her violin and she smiles as Taehyung stumbles over his words and then chokes out, “You’re really good at playing!” _

_ “Thank you. Taehyung, right?” _

_ Taehyung nodded immediately, “Yeah. That’s me.” _

_ “I’m Sohyon.” _

_ “I know-” Taehyung’s mind screeches to a halt as Sohyon starts to grin, “I-... I mean- I just- I’ve seen you around the school and I thought you looked pretty- I mean… I’m an idiot so I’m just gonna stop talking.” _

_ Sohyon looks over her shoulder as her name is called and she looks back at Taehyung with a brilliant smile, “That’s my eomma. I’ll talk to you later, Taehyungie!” _

_ “Yeah. Yeah, totally.” _

_ Seeing Sohyon later turns into daily hangouts as she practices her violin, Taehyung watches, enraptured, as the bow drags across the strings, drawing note after note from the instrument. Taehyung clears his throat as she sets the violin to the side, “Have you ever thought about playing professionally?” _

_ Sohyon laughs, shakes her head, “No, Tae. I’m not that talented.” _

_ “Yes, you are! You’re so talented, Soh! You could play in any of the orchestra halls in the world!” _

_ Sohyon looks over at Taehyung, cheeks flushing a soft pink, “You really think so?” _

_ Taehyung nudges her shoulder softly, “I know so.” _

_ Sohyon hums and leans against Taehyung’s shoulder, “You’re a good friend, Tae.” _

_ Friendship grows into something more and Taehyung can’t stop himself from asking her out when they’re 16.  _

_ Their first date is a night out to an ice rink. Taehyung nearly brains himself several times but Sohyon laughs as he fumbles around on the ice like a baby deer. She gently takes his hand, pulls him to his feet, and straightens his posture, “You have to stand up straight, Tae or you’re just going to keep falling over.” _

_ “How do you know so much about ice skating?” _

_ “My mom and I used to go out all the time when I was young,” Sohyon smiles, “I’m pretty good at it.” _

_ Taehyung chuckles, holding onto Sohyon’s hand, “You think so?” _

_ She nudges him again and doesn’t answer, just pulls Taehyung across the ice. _

_ They’re 19 when they get married. _

_ Young, dumb, and so in love with each other that even the most judgemental glares don’t stir Taehyung’s choice. He takes Sohyon’s hand in his, slips a ring on her finger, and calls her his wife for the first time. He watches as Sohyon dances with Jimin during one of the songs and smiles as she glances over at him. He could always trust Jimin. The man had been there through everything and seeing how Sohyon and he had become friends made Taehyung sure that he had made the right decision.  _

_ The honeymoon goes by in a flash and they’re both busy as they try to figure life out. Sohyon joins an orchestra and starts playing the violin professionally. Taehyung goes to every show. Sohyon buys Taehyung a professional camera when his breaks. They make it work. Taehyung just gets home from a long shoot and collapses onto the bed when he feels a soft hand against his shoulder and he sighs in relief, “Hey, Love.” _

_ “Hi… You look tired.” _

_ “Yeah. This person had a little kid who wouldn’t sit still but his cheeks kinda made up for it.” _

_ Sohyon coos, “What a cutie. I’m sure you just wanted to take him home.” _

_ Taehyung chuckles, lifting his head to look at his wife, “A little bit, yes.” _

_ Sohyon nods, gently stroking Taehyung’s hair, “Do you want children?” _

_ “You know I do.” _

_ “Do you want to try?” _

_ Taehyung sits up, “What?” _

_ “Do you want to start trying to have kids? We don’t have to start right away-” _

_ “No. No. Let’s start!” _

_ Sohyon smiles and gently cups his cheeks, “Okay.” _

_ They’ve been trying for months when Jimin crashes into their home with the news of his own child. Taehyung feels a pang of jealously but can’t help but be happy for his best friend. Then the option of raising their children together comes forward and, suddenly, Taehyung feels nothing but happiness. He could become an uncle and a father within a few months. His entire body is shaking in anticipation now but… Sohyon has to be pregnant before anything becomes real. _

_ The answer comes a few months later as Taehyung is putting his camera into his bag and the door flies open. Taehyung turns just in time to have Sohyon jumping into his arms, “Taehyung! Tae!” _

_ Panic seizes his chest for a second before he notices that Sohyon is laughing, “What? What is it?” _

_ She shoves a box into his hands, jumping slightly, “Open it.” _

_ Taehyung slowly opens the box, staring at the content. A tiny pair of slippers, a pregnancy test, a sign that says “See You Soon, Appa!”, and an ultrasound. Taehyung blinks.  _

_ Blinks again. _

_ And then starts crying, “You’re-” _

_ Sohyon nods and points at a minuscule point on the ultrasound, “There they are.” _

_ Taehyung throws his arms around his wife, holding her close, “Oh my God… Oh my God. Yes. Fucking finally.” _

_ Sohyon laughs, hugging him back, “We have our baby, my love.” _

_ Taehyung can’t stop crying. _

_ Taehyung goes to every ultrasound and does everything he can to make sure that Sohyon has everything that she needs or wants. When her belly starts growing, Taehyung can barely stop placing a hand on the bump. He watches as the doctor spreads a clear jelly on Sohyon’s stomach and starts the ultrasound. It’s quiet for a moment as Taehyung holds Sohyon’s hand and the doctor smiles, “You want to know the gender?” _

_ “Yes, please.” _

_ “Congratulations. You have a healthy baby boy.” _

_ Taehyung keeps crying as Sohyon squeezes his hand.  _

_ He has his hand on Sohyon’s stomach, feeling as his son kicks at the pressure on Sohyon’s stomach when Sohyon hums, “What about Woosung?” _

_ Taehyung hums and then shakes his head, “No… How about Sung-Ho?” _

_ Sohyon scrunches her face and shakes her head in response, flipping through the name of books, “No. I don’t like that one,” Taehyung hums and then Sohyon blinks, “BeomGyu.” _

_ Taehyung looks up from the pressure against his hand, “Beom… Gyu?” _

_ “Yeah. Kim BeomGyu,” Sohyon smiles, “What do you think?” _

_ Taehyung thinks about it for a moment before grinning, “I like it. Our little GyuGyu.” _

_ Sohyon’s hand joins his on her stomach, “Our little Gyuie.” _

_ March 13th is a day that Taehyung will remember forever. Sohyon shakes him awake in the middle of the night. Her water broke and they’re running to the hospital, almost forgetting her pillow. They don’t really care in the end as Sohyon is placed in a labor room. Then the waiting begins. Sohyon squeezes Taehyung’s hand during contractions and Taehyung helps her breathe through it. Sohyon takes a deep breath as her hand loosens from around Taehyung’s, “Tae… we’re gonna be parents soon.” _

_ Taehyung smiles, “Yeah. We will be.” _

_ Sohyon’s face is pale, “I don’t… I don’t think I can do this-” _

_ Taehyung shushes her gently, kissing her forehead, “You can, Love. You can. You’re going to be such a wonderful mother. I can’t wait to raise Little GyuGyu with you. We’re going to do this. We’ll be together.” _

_ Sohyon takes a deep breath and nods slowly, “Okay. Okay. We can do this.” _

_ “We can.” _

_ It’s about another hour before Sohyon has to start pushing. It’s long. It’s difficult. Even the doctors look worried. Sohyon pushes through. _

_ Somehow.  _

_ She pushes through just enough for BeomGyu to take his first breath and then everything twists. It’s a blur. Sohyon’s heart monitor beeps sporadically and her breath comes in weak gasps. Taehyung turns to her immediately, “Soh? Sohyon!” _

_ There’s a nurse at his shoulder, pushing him away, “Mr. Kim, you need to leave.” _

_ “Wait-!” _

_ “Sir, we have to help her. You need to leave.” _

_ “She needs me! She- SOHYON!” _

_ “She won’t make it if we don’t help her! Wait outside!” _

_ Taehyung is shoved out of the room, forced onto a bench. He can’t breathe. There’s a pressure on his chest and when a doctor makes his way over to him, his vision tunnels. He hears a soft, “I’m so sorry-” _

_ And nothing else.  _

_ Taehyung’s legs can’t hold his weight. _

_ He’s crying again and Sohyon isn’t there to wipe the tears away. _

A weight slamming into Taehyung is what woke him up and he wheezed under the sudden weight. BeomGyu looked up with a big smile, “Good morning, Appa!”

Taehyung blinked, still half-asleep, before sighing, “Morning, Beomie.”

“Appa, is MinMin still coming over tonight?”

Taehyung nodded, laying his head back onto his pillows. It was so early and Taehyung was so tired. BeomGyu wiggled in excitement, nuzzling further into Taehyung’s sleep shirt and pressing his nose into his father’s neck. Taehyung reached up, wrapping his arms around BeomGyu and holding him close. So much better than a pillow. Taehyung knew his son and, as Beom held himself close, the toddler started drifting off. Taehyung smiled, kissing BeomGyu’s hair. BeomGyu woke up with the sun but constantly crashed if he laid back down, something he got from his father. Taehyung closed his eyes.  _ A few more minutes won’t hurt.  _

It didn’t feel like a few minutes before his alarm was going off and he was dragging himself and his four-year-old out of bed. BeomGyu rested his head against Taehyung’s shoulder as his father started making a quick and easy breakfast. It was usually like this. So quiet and calm in the mornings that BeomGyu was tired enough to be babied. Taehyung tried not to feel jealous of Jimin. Yeonjun was the cuddliest child, no matter the day. BeomGyu was not that type of kid. It was wonderful to hold his son close nowadays, even if he was still tired. BeomGyu’s head against his shoulder and arms around his neck made him feel more like a human than anything else in the world did. His precious Beomie. Taehyung jostled him gently, “Want bananas in your oatmeal?”

“Yes, please.”

“Can Appa put you down?”

BeomGyu shook his head, burying his face further into Taehyung’s shirt. Taehyung chuckled softly, carefully maneuvering himself to be able to cut up a banana and put the slices into the small bowl of oatmeal. BeomGyu lifted his head only when Taehyung placed the bowl on the table and then sat the child on the chair. He didn’t complain, just scooted up to take his dinosaur spoon in his hand and started eating. Taehyung stroked his dark hair for a moment before dropping a kiss to his scalp. BeomGyu made a happy noise at the attention and kicked his little legs as Taehyung took his seat with a cup of tea and his bowl of oatmeal. Taehyung was a slower eater than BeomGyu and the child cleared his own bowl, standing on his toes to push the plastic tableware into the sink before hurrying off to get ready for daycare. 

It didn’t take them long at all to be on the way to daycare. BeomGyu sang a song loudly as Taehyung drove. It was calming and Taehyung couldn’t help but think of how proud Sohyon would be of her son’s voice, of how it carried through the house, through the car, into Taehyung’s heart. He took a deep breath, fighting off the sudden heartache. It was getting easier to think of her, less like pulling his own heart out of her chest and more like… wrapping the damage in a soft blanket, just to remember her smile that BeomGyu had inherited from her. Taehyung sighed softly and BeomGyu spoke, “Appa, are you sad?”

“What? No, GyuGyu. I’m not sad.”

“You made a sad noise. Like this!” 

Taehyung bit his lip to stop from laughing as BeomGyu copied his sigh in an over the top manner. Taehyung shook his head, chuckling, “No, Dear. I’m not sad, just a bit sleepy.”

“Oh. … You don’t have to go play with Uncle Hobi and Uncle Jimin! You can stay home! We can watch Star Wars! MinMin doesn’t have to come over and I’ll be real good!”

Taehyung shook his head again, putting his hand behind his seat to feel his son’s hand slide into his palm, “I know, Gyu. You’re always good,” That was a stretch but Taehyung knew what his son was trying to do, “But I want to play with Uncle Hobi and Uncle Jimin and MinMin wants to see you.”

“Okay. We can watch Star Wars?”

“Some other night. How about tomorrow? We can go to the park and then watch Star Wars?”

“YEAH!”

Taehyung flinched at the sudden noise, “Inside voice, BeomGyu.”

BeomGyu fell silent almost immediately before stage-whispering, “Sorry, Appa.”

“It’s okay, Baby Bear. Are you excited for Daycare?”

BeomGyu agreed enthusiastically, immediately diving into all of the games that they were going to play and how he was going to learn his hangul letters with Miss Hyun-Ji. When they pulled into the daycare’s parking lot, Taehyung could already see Hoseok’s Subaru and Jimin’s Jeep parked out front. Hoseok was just pulling Kai from his carseat as Taehyung parked. Taehyung climbed out of the car, waving to the elder. Hoseok grinned, “Good morning, you two.”

Taehyung smiled, pulling BeomGyu out of the car and setting him on the ground, “Hi, Hyung.”

BeomGyu beamed, holding Taehyung’s hand, “Hi, Uncle Hobi! Hi, Kai!”

The toddler, adorable and still half-asleep from the looks of it, waved as Hoseok settled him on his hip. Hoseok rubbed Kai’s back as he rested against him, “He just woke up. Nightmares.”

BeomGyu’s eyes widened and he tugged Taehyung closer, reaching up and putting a hand on Kai’s leg, “No. No bad dreams for Kai. Are you okay?”

Kai nodded again, looking down at his friend, and Hobi smiled, “He’s alright, Little Bear. I bet he’ll wake up soon and then you and he can play.”

BeomGyu nodded and walked along with the two adults as Taehyung looked over at Hoseok, “Are we still on for tonight, or do you need a night with Kai?”

“Oh no. We’re fine for tonight. Jeongin is picking him up from Daycare. He’s really just tired.”

Taehyung nodded and held the door open for the other single father as they stepped into the daycare together. Jimin was kneeling on the ground in front of Yeonjun, who had tears streaming down his cheeks, “Jellybean, I have to go.”

Yeonjun shook his head quickly, holding his daycare stuffed bunny to his chest with one arm and gripping Jimin’s shirt with his other hand, “N-No. Appa, please. I don’t wanna be here-!”

Jimin shushed his son softly, hugging him close and whispering something to him. Yeonjun shook his head again and the conversation continued until BeomGyu smiled, “Hi, Junie!”

Yeonjun looked over at his friend, no smile to be seen. Jimin stroked the child’s brown hair, “Look, BeomGyu’s here. So is Kai. Can you be brave with them?”

Yeonjun looked torn as BeomGyu hurried over to hug his friend, “Yeah! Junie, be brave! Me, you, and Kai can play pirates! Or spaceships! Do you wanna play spaceships? Or with legos? Miss Hyun-Ji! Can we play with legos?”

Yeonjun looked over at Jimin with wide eyes and Jimin nodded, “It’s okay. Be brave for 5 hours. Seungmin will be here to pick you up. Okay?”

Yeonjun nodded slowly and hugged Jimin around the neck, squeezing him tightly. Jimin patted Yeonjun’s back and then stood as BeomGyu tugged the smaller child away from his father. Kai was a few steps behind them after he hugged his father. Jimin wiped at his cheeks, sighing. Taehyung rubbed at his shoulder in comfort, “What’s Namjoon-Hyung said?”

“... We know it’s separation anxiety but it doesn’t make it any easier. I hate when he cries.”

Taehyung and Hoseok both gave the most comforting smiles that they could. It was a feeling that they all shared. Seeing their sons cry broke their hearts and Jimin was the most sensitive out of all of them, Yeonjun was a wonderful kid with a bright personality. He just got scared when he got left alone. Taehyung’s thoughts were interrupted as Taehyun zoomed between the small group of adults, yellow backpack bouncing as he ran towards his friends. The three single fathers turned to watch Jin walk forward with a gentle call, “Taehyun! Don’t run inside!”

Taehyun slowed down, looking over his shoulder with an embarrassed look, “Sorry, Appa…”

Jin chuckled and watched as Taehyun hurried to his friends at a fast walk. He glanced over at the group and smiled, “Hey.”

“Hi, Hyung.”

“You guys still going out tonight?”

Hoseok nodded immediately as Taehyung and Jimin echoed, “Yep.”

“Good. You three deserve a break. Have fun. I’ve gotta get Soobin to kinder.”

Jin waved as he left the daycare and Taehyung looked at his watch, “Crap! I’ve gotta go. I’m gonna be late. I’ll see you guys later!”

“See ya!”

Jungkook leaned against the wall of the bar, watching as the stools at the counter fill up. He was still, technically, on his break. It was loud in the bar, people talking to each other and ordering drinks from Yugyeom and MinJi. “Jungkook!” He jumped, turning, “Get back out there. It’s almost rush hour.”

“Ah… Yes, Hong-ssi!”

Jungkook slid his phone back into his pocket, hurrying out to join the other two bartenders. MinJi grinned, “Took you long enough, Jeon.”

Jungkook laughed, “Oh, shut up. I was on break. You’re lucky I’m even out here.”

MinJi rolled her eyes and Yugyeom perked up, “Yo. Check out the bachelorette party coming in.”

Jungkook and MinJi broke from their playful bickering to watch a large group of women come in and groaned in tandem. MinJi watched as they took a large booth and curled her lips up, “Dammit… Guess that means it’s mine… Why do they never sit at the bar so that you guys can deal with it?”

Jungkook gave MinJi an apologetic look, “Sorry. I’d be more than willing to go deal with that but they always wanna pinch my butt and I’m not into it.”

“Not into single, pretty women pinching your butt?”

Jungkook held up a hand and spoke clearly, “Not into women, MinJi.”

MinJi snorted and fixed her apron, hurrying out with a notepad to take the group’s orders. Yugyeom started mixing a drink, “I really thought you took tonight off, Man. Why’d you come in? Didn’t you and Yoongi have plans?”

Jungkook shook his head, “Nah. He needed to work in his studio.”

“Ah. That sucks.”

“It’s not so bad. We’ll hang out tomorrow.”

Yugyeom nodded, turning back to the bar. The evening quickly got busy. The bachelorette party in the corner kept MinJi on her toes for most of the night. Yugyeom ended up rushing drinks out to the tables as well, leaving Jungkook to fend for the bar by himself. Not that he minded. He did enjoy the close proximity to people, being able to talk to them as he mixed the drinks. He didn’t mind at all when the door opened and three men pushed into the bar. One looked strangely familiar, dark hair parted to the side, but the other two were completely new to the scene. One had black hair that was pushed out of his face, styled a little neater than the last man that entered the bar with an air of calm, or maybe sleepiness, dark brown hair a little long but sleek and soft looking. Jungkook forced his gaze back to the drink he was making.  _ Not now. Not now. I’m working.  _

Taehyung was only a soju in when Jimin asked him to get the next round from the bar. He understood why. The few waiters that were flitting around looked exhausted. Taehyung settled on one of the empty barstools to wait his turn. He squirmed in his seat.  _ Skinny jeans… Why can’t sweats be attractive and appropriate bar wear?  _ He fished his phone from his pocket, looking down at his screen. A picture of BeomGyu in the lap of Minho’s friend greeted him.

**_Message From Minho_ **

_ Everything’s going alright. BeomGyu’s already getting tuckered out. I might bring Jisung by every time. Lol _

Taehyung chuckled softly. 

**_Message To Minho_ **

_ Do what you need to do, Minho. He looks like he’s having fun. Thank you for watching him. Like always. _

**_Message From Minho_ **

_ And like always, it’s a pleasure. I love my little GyuGyu. Have a good night, Mr. Kim. _

“So. Are you a parking ticket? Because you’ve got fine written all over you.”

Taehyung jumped, shielding his phone against his chest, and snapped his gaze upward. The bartender was leaning against the countertop with a crooked smile. Taehyung blinked as he let the… pickup line sink into his brain and then process. He snorted and then laughed, even as his cheeks flushed, “Has that line ever worked?”

The bartender blinked and then cleared his throat, “Well… You’re blushing, aren’t you?”

Taehyung laughed again, “I guess you have a point. I’m Kim Taehyung.”

The bartender’s smile grew and he offered a hand, “Jungkook. Jeon Jungkook.”

Taehyung raised an eyebrow, taking Jungkook’s hand as he teased, “Bond, James Bond?”

Jungkook’s cheeks grew pink and he laughed, “Yeah. That was kind of a weird way of introducing myself. What can I get you, Taehyung?”

“Just three soju. But,” Taehyung leaned up a little on the counter, “Do you mind mixing one with orange juices?”

“So two soju bottles and one Korean Screwdriver?”

Taehyung nodded, “Sounds good, Jungkook.”

Taehyung watched as Jungkook put two bottles on the counter and then started mixing what Taehyung had asked for. Jungkook looked over his shoulder as he worked, obviously scanning the crowd. It was kinda hypnotizing to watch as he poured the alcohol and the orange juice. It was peaceful before Jungkook shouted, causing Taehyung to jump a little, “HEY! Keep your hands off the waitress! I’ll kick your ass out if I see it again!”

Taehyung twisted his head to look over to where Jungkook had shouted. A waitress was stepping away from a table with a grateful glance towards the bartender. It must’ve been a severe threat because the man cowered in his chair. Jungkook seemed well built and… maybe Taehyung really did need to get a date… Jungkook poured the drink into a cup and placed a small orange slice on the top of the liquid, “There you go. Have a good night.”

Taehyung smiled and nodded, taking the drinks back to the table. Jimin looked up as he placed one of the bottles in front of him, “That took a while.”

“Yeah. Sorry. Just-... a line. Ya know.”

Hoseok and Jimin traded a knowing look, “So the bartender was hot.”

Taehyung’s cheeks flared, “ _ Maybe!  _ I don’t know!”

“So, he definitely was.”

Taehyung grumbled, hiding in his drink. 

The night was starting to wind down at around 11:30. You can’t blame them. They raised toddlers and worked. 11:30 was late. Taehyung stood, “I’ll go pay the tab.”

Hobi stretched slowly, working on his jacket, “Thanks, Tae.”

Taehyung made his way over to the bar, leaning close, “Tab for Park, Jung, and Kim.”

The waiter looked up and went to nod when Jungkook’s voice cut them off, “I’ve got this one, Yugyeom. Someone’s asking for a cocktail and I can’t mix those worth shit.”

Yugyeom grinned and immediately made his way to the opposite side of the bar. Taehyung teased, “Wanted to say goodnight, Jungkook?”

“Maybe I did. Here’s your check.”

Taehyung offered his card, “Here.”

Jungkook barely glanced up as he started to run the card, “You headed home? It’s not even midnight.”

“Ah. Well… We’re tired. It’s been a long week.”

Jungkook hummed in agreement, “You want your receipt?”

“No, thank you.”

“You want your receipt.”

Taehyung blinked at the piece of paper wrapped around his debit card, “... okayyyy… Thanks…”

He slowly took the card and the receipt as Jungkook smiled fully, revealing a beautiful, bunny-toothed smile.  _ Cute.  _ “Have a good night.”

“Yeah. You too.”

Taehyung’s confusion must have shown on his face because Jimin jumped on it right away, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing… The bartender… He wouldn’t let me say no to the receipt for the tab.”

Hoseok’s eyebrows creased, “That’s weird.”

“Right?”

Jimin plucked the receipt from his hand, ignoring the rather offended, “HEY!” from Taehyung. He unfolded it and grinned, “Well, no shit, Tae.”

“What?”

Jimin held the paper out to him, “He gave you his number.”

_ “WHAT!”  _ Taehyung practically ripped the paper away from his friend, staring at the ten digits written neatly near the total,  _ for paying the parking ticket (just in case ;),  _ “Oh my God.”

Jimin’s smile felt more like a trap than anything, “He had a thing for you. Oh my God is right. How amazing! You should go on a date!”

Taehyung spluttered, “W-What? No, Jimin. I’ve got a kid to take care of and- and a job-”

Jimin shook his head as Hoseok sighed, “You have a sitter and Friday nights off.  _ Think  _ about going on a date. For your own health, Taehyungie.”

Taehyung groaned, “I’ll think about it!”

“That’s our boy.”

The phone number felt like it was burning a hole in his pocket as he opened the door to his home. Minho stood from the couch, BeomGyu blessedly asleep on his hip, “Hey, Mr. Kim. How was your night?”

“Good. Better than expected actually. How was everything over here?”

“Good. As always.”

Taehyung took BeomGyu into his arms and looked over, chuckling, “Well… Looks like BeomGyu tired out Jisung as well.”

Minho nodded, “They played pirates.”

“Oh no. That poor boy.”

Minho laughed and nodded again, “I’ll get him home.”

Taehyung fished the boy’s payment from his wallet and handed it over, “There’s some extra in there for Jisung.”

Minho nodded and then held Taehyung’s eye contact as he slid the money into his pocket, “Thanks for the raise, Mr. Kim.”

Taehyung snorted, muffling the sound in his palm as BeomGyu tossed his head against his father’s shoulder to try and find a comfortable position. He walked the teenagers out to their car, waving as they drove off. BeomGyu sniffled slightly, waking up as Taehyung closed the door, “... Appa…”

“Hey, Baby Bear.”

“... didn’t get to tell MinMin or Jinnie bye…”

“Oh. That’s okay. You’ll see them soon. Okay? Go back to sleep.”

Taehyung slowly placed the child into his bed, tucking the blankets around him with Stripes, his stuffed tiger toy, next to him. Taehyung stared at the receipt in the safety of his own room before saving the number to his phone.  _ Just in case.  _


	2. Till Curfew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoongi is so tired.  
> But Jungkook's got a Date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very dialogue-heavy chapter but I hope you enjoy it.

Jungkook shifted uncomfortably on the couch in Yoongi’s studio, staring at the screens. He picked up his phone, staring at the empty notification page. Okay… he had taken a big leap, giving Kim Taehyung his number had led to… nothing. Not even a text message with a simple rejection. Jungkook would rather have a text that said,  _ ‘Thanks but I’m not interested”  _ than nothing. Jungkook let out a silent breath.  _ Damn, he was really cute too…  _

“I can hear you pouting, Kook.”

Jungkook blinked before forcing his face neutral, “... I’m not pouting.”

“Okay, now I can  _ actually _ hear it,” Yoongi turned his chair to stare at the younger spread across his couch, he was wearing his “Tired Hyung” look, “what’s wrong?”

Jungkook glanced at his phone before sighing, “I got ghosted,” It fell silent before Jungkook looked back up at Yoongi, “Oh my God! Don’t laugh at me!”

Yoongi snorted, covering his face with his hands and cackling, “I’m sorry! I just-... Jungkook, you got  _ ghosted _ and you’re  _ pouting?” _

“This doesn’t happen, Hyung!”

“It happens to everyone, Jungkook. I got ghosted last year.”

“Well, yeah but now you’ve got a boyfriend.”

Yoongi’s smile got a little wistful, “That I do. Oh. I should text him.”

“Yoongi! Can we talk about this for a second?! He was really cute and just… so… ya know?”

“... do you even know his full name?”

Jungkook stared at Yoongi before wrinkling his nose, “I know his full name!”

“Okay. Did you flirt with him and did he flirt back?”

“I kinda hate how you’re interrogating me.”

“Did he?”

Jungkook took a deep breath, “I flirted. He kinda flirted back.”

“I doubt he’s ghosting you then. Maybe he’s just busy. What’s his name?”

“Kim Taehyung.”

Yoongi seemed to freeze, blinking rapidly. It went quiet, the final syllable of Taehyung’s name fading into the air. He wheezed out, “When’d you meet him?”

“A few nights ago, at work. Why are you acting so weird?”

“No reason. Just forgot that Hoseok and I have a date tonight. I really need to text him. If you could,” Yoongi gestured to the door.

Jungkook sighed softly before trudging his way out of the studio and steadfastly ignoring the way Yoongi dived for his phone. He mumbled something about “stupid happy couples” and continued his way down to his truck.

Taehyung sat in front of his computer, flicking through pictures of the wedding he had taken photos for. There were a few that needed touching up. BeomGyu was down for his afternoon nap, sleeping away his exhaustion from daycare. The whole house was quiet, lacking the usual sounds of BeomGyu playing. Taehyung lifted a hand to rub at his eyes, sore from staring at the screen all day.  _ Maybe I could use a nap- _ Taehyung jumped as his phone started ringing.

_ Hobi-Hyung <3 _

Taehyung stared at the screen for a moment before picking up the call, “Hey, Hyung.”

_ “Tae! Did I catch you at a bad time?” _

“Mmh… no. No, you didn’t. I’m just exhausted. Beom didn’t sleep last night and I had that wedding I shot last weekend. I need a break…”

_ “A break, huh?” Uh-oh, “Say… didn’t you get a number when we went to the bar last week?” _

Taehyung blinked, “What? What number?”

Hoseok sighed,  _ “Tae… is your insomnia back?” _

_ Kinda.  _ “No. No. Just a long day.”

_ “Okay. Anyway, the number. … from the cute bartender.” _

Taehyung’s spine straightened immediately.  _ Oh, God.  _ “Oh. Oh. Right. I-... Oh my God. I totally forgot about that.”

_ “Yeah. I thought so. Why don’t you call him? Go on a date and get a  _ real  _ good break. I’ll watch BeomGyu for you!” _

Taehyung giggled softly, “Okay. That sounds… great actually. Thank you, Hobi. I’ll call him right now!”

_ “Good luck, Taehyungie!” _

Taehyung quickly scrolled through his contacts, tapping on Jungkook’s profile. The call rang a few times before it was answered, background noise grainy, almost like he was on speaker,  _ “Hello?” _

“Hi. Is this… is this Jungkook?”

_ “Speaking. Who is this?” _

“Oh,”  _ Does he not remember me…?  _ “It’s… um, Taehyung? Kim Taehyung?”

The line went dead silent before Jungkook cleared his throat, sounding a little surprised,  _ “Wow! Hi! I thought you forgot about me.” _

Taehyung laughed nervously, “Well… I’m really sorry. I got so busy with work and… just everything. I really didn’t mean to forget about you.”

Jungkook laughed softly, rolling through the phone speaker,  _ “Hey, you’re okay. Life has a way of doing that. So, what do I owe the pleasure, Kim Taehyung?” _

“Oh, well,” Taehyung turned to face the doorway, glancing down the hall to make sure that BeomGyu wasn’t awake, “I really need a break so I was thinking… I’m free Friday night and maybe we could meet up for dinner?”

Jungkook hummed,  _ “Ya know what, that sounds great, Taehyung.” _

“Oh, gosh, please just call me Tae. Taehyung makes me feel like I’m in trouble.”

Jungkook laughed easily,  _ “Alright, Tae. You just text me the address for the restaurant and the time you wanna meet. Are you sure you don’t want me to pick you up?” _

Taehyung shook his head, “No. No. That’s fine! I can meet you.”

_ “Okay. I’ll see you then,”  _ A beat before Jungkook teased,  _ “And don’t go forgetting me again, Tae.” _

Taehyung’s cheeks flushed and he heard himself giggle, high pitched and nervous-  _ oh, what the fuck?-  _ “I-I won’t. I’ll see you later.”

Taehyung was just placing his phone down on the counter when tiny footsteps padded into the kitchen, a slight weight leaning against his legs. Taehyung turned his head and smiled down at his son, “Hey, GyuGyu. You feeling better?”

BeomGyu nodded, lifting his arms to be picked up. Taehyung balanced him on his hip, holding him close. BeomGyu cuddled close, head resting on his father’s shoulder, “Appa?”

“Yeah, Baby Bear?”

“Can we have kimchi for dinner?”

Taehyung laughed softly, kissing Beomgyu’s forehead, “Absolutely, my little love. Kimchi and rice. Does that sound good?”

“Yes please.”

Taehyung squeezed BeomGyu close before letting him down gently, “I’ll start dinner if you bring your workbook in here, okay? We can work on it together!”

Beomgyu nodded quickly, “Okay, Appa! We can do hangul!”

Taehyung nodded with a bright smile, watching as BeomGyu waddled away, his blanket draped over his shoulders like a cape. Taehyung couldn’t help his soft laughter at the visual. He pulled out his rice steamer, getting to work on dinner as BeomGyu reappeared and took a seat at the dinner table before starting the workbook. His hand was clenched around his pencil as he carefully traced the hangul characters, sounding out each one as the graphite scratched against the paper. Taehyung watched before dialing Minho’s number. It rang for a moment before,  _ “Hey, Mr. Kim.” _

“Hey, Minho. How’s your day going?”

_ “Pretty good-” _

_ “Is that Mr. Kim?! HI, MR. KIM!” _

Taehyung chuckled, “Hello, Jisung. What are you two doing today?”

Minho laughed,  _ “Getting dinner at McDonald’s because Jisung is the same age as BeomGyu.” _

_ “Hey!” _

Taehyung laughed along with his babysitter, “Well, there’s a reason that they get along so well.”

_ “Nice one, Mr. Kim. What do you need?” _

“Oh… uh… Well, I was wondering if you could watch Gyu on Friday. I… I have a date and-”

_ “Oh my God! Absolutely, Mr. Kim! I’ll be there at six!” _

“I’m not leaving until seven?”

_ “I’ll be there at six! Oh, and Jisung wants to come.” _

“He’s always welcome and I can pay him.”

Minho hummed,  _ “Sounds like a great pay raise. Thank you, Mr. Kim.” _

Taehyung chuckled, “Of course, Minho. See you Friday.”

_ “See you!” _

Taehyung hung up the call, sliding the phone into his back pocket and leaning over to check on BeomGyu, “Baby Bear, that line is supposed to be on the other side of the character.”

BeomGyu looked up with wide eyes, “But it looks better this way!”

Taehyung smiled and leaned down, pressing his lips to BeomGyu’s forehead, “I completely agree but it goes on the other side.”

The toddler’s nose scrunched immediately as he set to work erasing the incorrect character and Taehyung turned back to the stovetop. He hummed softly as he cooked before dishing out a small bit of kimchi and rice onto a plastic plate and grabbing BeomGyu’s favorite dinosaur spoon. It was easy work, swapping the workbook with a plate full of food. BeomGyu looked up with a big smile, “Thank you, Appa!”

“You’re welcome.”

Taehyung stared at his closet on Friday night. He could hear BeomGyu playing in his room, singing a song from daycare and pushing over his building blocks every so often. When was the last time that he had actually dressed up outside of work? Or meetings? Taehyung pressed his lips together as he shifted through his hangers, staring at the clothes there. He hadn’t worn that flowery shirt since that one odd job in Daegu nearly three years ago and it seemed very… over the top for a simple date to dinner. He gnawed on his bottom lip, picking at his nails with one hand. He was pulled out of his thoughts when the bell rang. BeomGyu’s footsteps padded to his door, knocking softly, “Appa, someone’s at the door!”

Taehyung laughed under his breath and opened his door to scoop his son into his arms. BeomGyu squealed as Taehyung peppered kisses on his cheeks and made his way to the front entryway, opening the door, “Hi, Minho.”

Minho smiled brightly, “Hi, Mr. Kim!”

Jisung popped up from behind Minho with a brilliant smile, “Hi!”

Taehyung laughed, “Hello again. Didn’t get enough of pirates the first time?”

“Definitely not.”

Minho had fallen silent, looking Taehyung up and down. He pursed his lips, “Mr. Kim… Are you wearing that to your date?”

Taehyung looked down at himself, at the stained jeans and old t-shirt that he was wearing, “Uh… No? I was trying to get ready but I couldn’t-”

Minho took BeomGyu from his arms before immediately handing him over to Jisung, “Jisung, hold BeomGyu. Mr. Kim, we need to get you dressed.”

Taehyung blinked rapidly as Minho dragged him back to his room and pushed him to sit on his mattress. Taehyung could already hear Jisung playing with BeomGyu, the toddler yelling about pirates enthusiastically and Jisung joining in. Minho dug into his closet, tossing a few shirts onto the bed and then scanned his drawers. Taehyung stared at the shirts that were laying on the bed. The few button-ups that Minho had tossed at him were casual enough for a dinner date but Taehyung knew they looked nice. Minho pulled out a pair of skinny jeans and offered them, “These with that pale blue shirt and your black penny loafers. You know, for comfort.”

Taehyung laughed softly, “For comfort.”

Minho grinned, “I’ll let you get dressed and make sure those two aren’t making too big of a mess.”

It was nearly 6:50 when Taehyung made his way out to the main living room and BeomGyu looked up, eyes going wide, “Appa! Look handsome!”

Taehyung giggled, kneeling down to hug his son tightly, “Thank you, Baby Bear! I’ll be back later so you be good for MinMin. Okay?”

BeomGyu nodded quickly, “Yeah! I’ll be good! I love you, Appa.”

“I love you too,” Taehyung swiftly kissed his cheeks before nodding to Minho, “Call me if you need anything.”

Minho grinned, “Not a chance, Mr. Kim.”

Taehyung rolled his eyes but stood straight anyway, “See you later.”

“Bye, Appa!”

“Bye, Baby Bear!”

Taehyung waved until the door closed behind him. He turned to look at his car and took a shuddering breath.  _ Okay… Okay. This is… fine. This is easy. Just a date with an… attractive bartender… for the first time in 3 years. Okay. You’ve got this. _

Jungkook parked outside the restaurant that Tae had said to. It looked a little more relaxed than he was expecting. He wasn’t waiting long before a gray crossover pulled up next to his truck. Taehyung gracefully stepped out of the car, hair curly and soft looking. Jungkook blinked, hurrying to greet him, “Hey!”

Taehyung smiled, full and boxy- nearly knocking the breath out of Jungkook’s lungs, “Hi, Jungkook.”

Jungkook offered an arm, “You look stunning.”

Taehyung giggled, taking Jungkook’s arm as a pretty pink graced his cheeks, “Thank you… you do too.”

“Aw, that’s sweet of you but I’m just wearing a leather jacket.”

Taehyung gently smacked the younger’s arm, “It looks good on you. That’s what- that’s what I meant.”

Jungkook laughed, gently guiding them towards the front door of the restaurant, “I know. Sorry, I like to tease.”

“Mmh. You’re gonna be bad for my heart, aren’t you?”

“I can only hope that you mean that in the best way possible.”

Taehyung hummed and gave a teasing smile, “I’ll get back to you on that.”

Jungkook couldn’t help but laugh at that, “Ohh, look at you. I knew you could dish it back.”

Taehyung elbowed his side before turning to the host, “Table for 2.”

“Right this way.”

Jungkook pulled Taehyung’s chair out for him and relished as his cheeks grew darker, “Um… thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Taehyung fiddled with his sleeves, “Sorry. I’m-... okay, I’m awkward. I haven’t been on a date in… forever and, honestly, I was kinda surprised you actually wanted to go on, ya know, a date…” He trailed off as Jungkook leaned back in his seat, cheeks red, “And I’m rambling… I’m so sorry.”

Jungkook chuckled softly as Taehyung ran a hand down his face, “I don’t mind. You look tired and stressed as Hell.”

“This week has been Hell.”

“Really? What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a photographer. Freelance. I had a wedding last weekend so this week has just been nonstop editing and staring at my computer screen.”

“That’s actually pretty impressive. You don’t have a team working with you?”

“No. It pays well enough and it’s not usually this bad.”

Jungkook nodded, “Understand that. The bar usually isn’t that bad but sometimes it happens.”

Taehyung hummed, taking a sip of the water that the waiter put in front of him, “Is that your all-day job?”

“No. I’m a physical trainer during the week. I bartend on the weekends and, lucky me, I met you.”

Taehyung smiled bashfully, hiding partway behind the menu, “So… What are you thinking of getting?”

Jungkook held back his own laughter at the obvious subject change. Taehyung was  _ not  _ used to being flirted with, that much was obvious. He was uncomfortable even being called attractive. This, Jungkook thought, was a travesty. Taehyung should be called attractive  _ at least _ once a day. He had soft, fluffy hair that hung over dark eyebrows and soft brown eyes, a straight nose, a sharp jawline, and soft cheeks. Jungkook glanced back down at the menu, “Mmh. Probably some of their lamb skewers. What about you?”

“I… was thinking sushi. I love seafood but I don’t have it at home very often.”

“Why not?”

Taehyung shrugged easily, “Just never really buy it, I guess.”

“Then order as much as you want.”

Taehyung smiled softly, hiding his blush behind his hand.

Conversation flowed easily through dinner. Taehyung’s cheeks stayed a beautiful pink as Jungkook continued the steady flow of flirtatious comments. It was fun, learning that Taehyung painted on weekends off, and wanted to get a dog but couldn’t because of his work and that he hated coffee but loved hot cocoa when it was chilly and tea for every other occasion. When the check was placed on the table, Jungkook was pretty sure that he was going to have to fight Taehyung to have it.

“I can pay!”

“I’m paying.”

“I invited you out, Jungkook.”

“Okay, how about this?” Jungkook offered, “I pay for this and you pay for the ice cream?”

Taehyung fell quiet before raising an eyebrow, “We’re getting ice cream?”

“Do you want to get ice cream?”

The elder glanced down at his watch and smiled, “Well… my curfew’s not till 11:30.”

Jungkook felt his grin grow as he stood and offered a hand, “Let’s go then.”

Taehyung took his hand immediately, laughing as Jungkook tugged him out of the restaurant.

Taehyung did end up paying for the ice cream and they walked together, talking underneath the stars in the nearby park. They loitered next to the playground, quiet from the lack of children. Taehyung chuckled at the stories that Jungkook told him, scrunched his nose at parts, shook his head, and offered his own horror stories of his clients as they meandered their way back to their parked cars. 

Jungkook shook his head in disbelief, “Wait so she… didn’t pay you the rest of your cash and just… took the unedited photos to do herself?”

Taehyung nodded with an easy laugh, “Yeah. She said I was ‘taking too long’.”

“You only had the photos for three days! And there were over 200 of them!”

Taehyung shrugged, “It’s not the worst thing that’s happened to me. Besides, you always have to deal with unsavory customers. That’s not new.”

“I would’ve yelled at her.”

“And ruin my reputation as a wonderful photographer with a sweet disposition- I was tempted to.”

That got a laugh out of the younger, tossing his head back, “What a firecracker, you are.”

Taehyung giggled, stopping next to his car as he finished the rest of his ice cream and his watch beeped. He looked down at it and sighed softly, “Well.”

“That your curfew?” Jungkook nodded towards the offending little accessory.

Taehyung offered an apologetic smile, “I’m afraid so.”

“So,” Jungkook scuffed his shoe against the pavement, feeling oddly subdued, “Can I count on another date?”

Taehyung’s smile morphed into something sweet and he stepped forward into Jungkook’s personal space. Jungkook’s gaze snapped to Taehyung’s eyes. They were basically the same height- Taehyung maybe had a centimeter on him- and it made it so very easy to get sucked into his honey eyes. Taehyung’s voice was deep as he spoke softly, “Jungkook.”

“Yeah?”

“I had a wonderful time tonight and I hope we can do it again sometime,” Taehyung leaned forward, pressing soft lips to Jungkook’s cheeks- stopping his breath in his throat- and pulling away, “Text me?”

Jungkook stared, squeaking out a, “I will.”

Taehyung laughed, taking a few steps back, “Good night.”

“... night.”

Taehyung’s heart had stopped pounding by the time he pulled up to his house. He could still taste the ice cream on the tip of his tongue and smelt the gentle cologne that Jungkook had been wearing. Taehyung bit his bottom lip as he parked, leaning his head back against the seat and laughing. The last time he had been on a date like that, he had sobbed out of guilt and had to leave early. 

_ “Life is meant to be lived.” _

Taehyung pushed out of the car, making his way up the sidewalk and hopping past the two steps up to his front door. He kicked off his shoes easily, making his way into the living room and clicked his tongue in fake disappointment, “Gyu. Why are you still awake?”

BeomGyu crawled out of Minho’s lap, hurrying over to his father and hopping with outstretched arms, “Up! Up! MinMin let me! I wanted to say g’night to you!”

Taehyung easily swooped down, scooping his darling child into his arms, “Well, I’m home now.”

BeomGyu nodded, smiling big and hugging Taehyung around his neck. Minho stood, dragging Jisung with him, “Hope it’s alright. He didn’t want to sleep without seeing you.”

Taehyung laughed, kissing BeomGyu’s hair, “Absolutely. My wallet’s by the door.”

“Thank you, Mr. Kim. I hope you had a good date.”

Taehyung bit back his giggles, feeling like a schoolgirl, “The best.”

Minho grinned, “That’s great,” He leaned up, kissing the back of BeomGyu’s hair, “I’ll see you later, Gooie.”

“Bye MinMin and JiJi.”

Jisung grinned brightly, “See ya around, Champ.”

Taehyung waited until the door shut and he squeezed BeomGyu to his chest, “Come on. It’s way past your bedtime, Baby Bear.”

BeomGyu nodded, “I know. Sorry, Appa.”

“Don’t be sorry. I’m happy I get to see you.”

Taehyung tucked BeomGyu into his sheets with a smile as the toddler rolled over to grab his stuffed tiger and lay down properly before asking, “Did you have fun?”

“Mmh? What?”

“MinMin said you had a grownup playdate. Did ya have fun?!”

Taehyung laughed softly, running a hand through his hair, “Yeah, Baby. I had a lot of fun.”

“Yay!”

“Yay is right. Now, be a good baby bear and close your eyes. Get some sleep.”

BeomGyu nodded, screwing his eyes tight, “Good night, Appa.”

“Good night, GyuGyu,” Taehyung dropped a kiss to the top of his head, “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Yoongi leaned back into the couch cushions, letting out a deep breath as he relaxed.  _ Finally… Some peace and quiet.  _ He lifted his beer to his lips before the front door to his apartment slammed open. He choked, coughing out a mouthful of the alcohol as Jungkook swung around the doorframe, breathing hard and cheeks flushed, “HYUNG!  _ Hyung!  _ I got… a  _ Cheek Kiss!” _

“Oh my fucking God.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Do I apologize for taking 4 months to update  
> or  
> APOLOGIZE FOR TAKING 4 MONTHS TO UPDATE???
> 
> I'm so sorry... Turns out juggling life and holidays and college work and fics is really hard. I got hit with writers block a paragraph into this chapter and it didn't let up until recently.
> 
> Saying that!  
> I hope you enjoyed it!  
> Comments (pls oh god I'm starving), Kudos, and anything else are greatly appreciated!
> 
> My twitter is HERE if you want to come yell at me!  
> All My Love!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
> Please leave a comment or a kudos (or both if you're brave lol)
> 
> My twitter can be found [Here!](https://twitter.com/else555)


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